The Gift Exchange

Missed a week? Want to revisit or dive deeper? Stories, meditations, discussion guides and more are often available to connect around as a community! See below for links that are specific to each week of The Gift Exchange, and be sure to check out more resources on our Archives page.

The Gift Exchange. Christmas parties and families do this all the time - you trade names and give something and get something. Hopefully what you get will be better than what you gave. Sometimes what you have to give away isn’t so easy to give up - especially when you aren’t sure what you’ll get in return. There are bigger things in life that we have to give away in order to get what really matters… what Christmas promises. Are you ready to give it to get it?

The Gift Exchange December Discussion Guide

December 1: Give Up Naming, Receive … We spend a lot of attention, time and smarts naming things. Naming the disease and the antidote; naming the poisonous versus the edibles; the ski runs beginner to black diamond. It is natural, human and helpful! But can we get too good at naming? We’ve got it figured out. We know how it is. We can package it up and maybe even sell it. We’ve nailed it (ouch). Welcome to December. Let’s try some unnaming. What could unknowing what we thought we knew about ourselves, others and the world make room for?

Sunday Paper - 12/1: Giving Up Naming, Receive…

Podcast of Message - 12/1: Give Up Naming, Receive

December 8: Give Up Your List, Receive … Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the list of what you want that you send to Santa. Or, maybe it still would be. Life wouldn’t be life if you didn’t have your list of what you want from the people around you and deserve from the world. Or, maybe it still would be. What if we gave up our lists and just… just did what? And what would we get if we didn’t have our expectations all lined up waiting to be fulfilled? There’s only one way to find out, give it up.

Sunday Paper - 12/8: Give Up Your List, Receive…

Podcast of Message - 12/8 : Give Up Your List. Receive…

December 15: Give Up Shiny, Receive … You may not get around to cleaning your house and decorating for Christmas, but you gotta love those Currier & Ives snow scenes and driving the streets to look at the lights. Christmas should be shiny! So should our lives. At least on the outside. We shine up our resumės, Instagram, summary of ‘how we are doing’ so they look as good as a shopping mall Christmas tree. What would happen if you gave up shiny?

Sunday Paper - 12/15: Give Up Shiny, Receive…

Podcast of Message - 12/15 : Give Up Shiny. Receive…

December 22: The Wish Tree Musical Fabric kids, youth, and others are presenting a musical interpretation of Kyo Maclear’s book “The Wish Tree” that Heidi Esposito has created for us. Join us for this experience of discovering what happens when we seek what is even more fulfilling than wishing. Come see our children and youth bring their brilliance and hard work to show us all what we can receive this Christmas.

Sunday Paper - 12/22: The Wish Tree Musical

December 24: Christmas Eve, 2 pm “Make Room.” Take a breath after the frenzy that leads up to Christmas with a gathering shaped for the whole family and those who may not fit into the Christmas-thing. Carols, the age-old story, and time for reflection and wonder will help make room for the possible in your impossible. It happened 2000 years ago. It can happen again. See you on the 24th. Bring a friend who could use a little room in their life.

Christmas Edition Sunday Paper - 12/24: Make Room

December 29, Be part of our Service Fair! We’re partnering with Doing Good Together for an open style Service Fair. The Service Fair will feature a variety of opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to do simple and fun hands-on projects that benefit non-profit organizations and meeting needs in our community. Come ready and dressed for action. All ages are needed! Bring friends, neighbors, hey, even relatives! Donations to defray the cost of supplies are appreciated! Learn more about the projects, and how to donate here.